Cigarette case



.June 19, 1945. H A HUSTED 2,378,774

CIGARETTE CASE Filed4 Nov. 22, 1945 @www Patented June `19, 1945 UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE n I l CIGAsECASE um armies, st. clair, Mich. i application November zz, 194s. seria No. ensue 4 claim.. (c1. zoe-41.2)

It is a, primary object of this invention to provide a protective case for a partially opened pack of cigarettes, which case has means for dispensing cigarettes therefrom, and also has closure means to prevent the spilling of tobacco when the closed case is carried inthe pocket.

It is a turtherobject of this invention to provide a cigarette case of the class described which meets, accurately and individually, the optimum `requirements of a case of this type.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a cigarette case of the class described which is formed irom a minimum number of parts, and

'in which each of the partsmay be mouldedirom plastic material.

The accomplishment o1' the above and other objects will be made clear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the annexed drawingin which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved case;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on the line 3 3 oi Fig. 2; y

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the improved case: and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing an alternative form of construction.'l

Cigarettes for the mass market are very nearly the cheapest manufactured goods on sale.A In items of such low unit cost, the cost of packaging is a major item. AIt is, therefore, impossible to produce popular priced cigarettes in rigid, protective packages. The conventional packaging of cigarettes is subject to the defect that the nonrigid package may be crushed `in the users pocket, and the further defect that, being non- ,rec1oseable, tobacco spills into the pocket holding the pack. At the same time, lint works its Way into the cigarettes. Protective cases in which the cigarettes must be removed from the conventional pack and repacked in the case have never enjoyed' any extensive vogue among men for the reason that the transfer operation is simply too much trouble. l

lDuring the past twelve or fifteen years, there has been a constant search ior a supplementary case which will receive the conventional cigarette pack without the trouble of transferring individual tion for the ilrst time meets every requirement oi' the problem with an optimum solution.

In Fig. 2 there is illustrated a protective case comprising a lower member ill, cap member i2 and a closure member i4. The walls of the lower member I0 are made thinner adjacent its open mouth.l I8 to provide a shoulder I8 running entirely around the periphery of the member i8. The cap member I2 has vertical walls 2li equal in thickness to the shoulder I8. Where the cap member I2 is applied to the lower member i0 the result is an enclosed structure having 'uniformly smooth exterior and interior walls. These walls may, of course, be suitably embossed or otherwise decorated by `methods common in the art of moulding plastics. The walls may, moreover, be made wholly transparent. l

At one end oi' the cap member I2 is an elliptical dispensingopening 22 and adiacent'thereto is an elongatedslot 24. lA button 28 is moulded integrally with the plate I l and is joined thereto by a neck portion 28. The button 28 is only slightly greater in diameter than the slot 24 and when the parts 4are moulded from relatively resilient plastic material the button 28 may be snapped through the slot 24 by slightly spreading thesides ofthe slot. .This is easy because of the camming eectof the curvature of the upper surface of the button 28. It lis dimcult, however, thereafter to disassemble members I 4y and I2 because of the sqare shoulder with which the neck 28 intersects the under side of the but-- ton 28.

The front and rear walls of the lower member I0 are cut away at 30 and the adjacent end wall is similarly. cut away. This provides a thumb-notch affording a convenient gripping point for the removal of an empty pack fromthe case. While in Figs'. l and `2 the dispensing opening 22 is shown at the side oi' the case opposite the thumb notch just described, in practice it is immaterial which side of the case the .dispensing opening occupies.

faus

This is important since. for the insertion or removal of a pack of cigarettes, the lower member I0 and the cap member l2 are completely separated and if cigarettes; which will protect the pack against crushing; which will give easy access tothe cigarettes; and which may be tightly closed to prevent spillage of tobacco and contamination of the cigarettes. At the same time, such cases must be cheap, or the mass market to which they are directed will be unresponsive. The present inven any particular orientation of the parts were nec-A essary for reassembly, an almost fatal element of inconvenience would result. i

As will be noted in Fig. 2 the side edges of the closure plate Il are guided by the side walls 20 of the cap member i2. ,It is also to be noted that theu width of the plate i4 is such that its edges overlie the edges ofthe walls oi' the lower member i0. These walls prevent canting of the member I2, while at the front end, the thickness l of the cap member I2 slightly exceeds the height of the neck 28. As a result when the plate I4 is pressed to closing position by-the thumb of the user acting on button 26, the increased thickness at the forward end of slot 24 sets up a binding action between the material of the cap member I2 and the button 26 on one side, .and .between cap member l2 and the plate I4 of the other side. This binding is'sufilciently tight to prevent any accidental displacement of the plate I4 away from closing position.

Accidental separation of the cap member I2 from the" lower member III is prevented by the interengagement of means illustrated in Fig. 3. Cylindrical lugs 40 are moulded into the side walls 20 ofthe cap member I2. These lugs extend from the walls 20 by an amount approximating the thickness of the reduced upper portion of the walls of the lower member I 0, and are preferably located approximately mediallyv of the wider walls 20 of the cap member I2. The reduced upper portion of the walls of the lower member I have perforations 42 sized and .spaced so asvto register with the lugs 40 when the cap member I2 reaches its final-position relative to the lower member I0. The wider walls 20, being formed of relatively resilient plastic material spring sufficiently to accommodate the lugs 40 as the cap member I2 is thrust over the reduced portions of the lower member- I0, and this springing action carries the lugs 40 into the perforations 42 to form a lock. When this action takes place, there is normally a new pack inside the above the shoulder 6I to accommodate a locking perforation 64 identical in function with the locking perforation 42 shown in Fig. 3. The

, edges ofthe wider walls of the lower member 60 easiest to manufacture.

are inclined from a lowy point adjacent the thumb notch 63 to a high point at the extremities of the Wider walls.

A cap member lIl tits the walls 62 of member 60 and bears on the shoulder 6I. The top surface 1I of the member 'I0 has a dispensing opening 'I2 identical with the opening 22 of Fig. 1. Adjacent the opening 12 isV a slot 13 receiving a `button 'I4 attached to a closure plate 80. 'Ihe of the proper cross section. There is no problem lower member I'Il, giving that member substantial rigidity even against bending or flexing of its wider walls. When the cap member I2 is to be removed from the lower member I0, the pack inserted therein will usually be empty. The wider walls of the lower member I0 may therefore be flexed inwardly to an extent suilicient to disengage the perforations 42 from the lugs 40 and thus to permit the removal of the cap member I2.

If desired, a perforation 50 (Fig. 3) may-be placed in the bottom of the lower member I0.

'I'his will prove useful when the cigarette pack so closely conforms to the inner surface of the member I 0 as to have a compression effect upon air entrapped in the member I0. v

The button 26 and neck 28 may be, as shown, integral with the plate I4. If desired, however. button 26 and neck 28 couldpenetrate plate I4 and be riveted thereto either by -pressure alone, or by heat and pressure. When both members are formed of plastic material, the neck 28 may be `wet with acetone and passed through a perforation in the plate I4 under which circumstances `the acetone will sufficiently dissolve the material of the neck 28 and the adjacent portions of thev plate I4 to effect the equivalent of a weld therebetween.

` In Fig.'5 there is shown an alternative i'orm of lower'member 6I) having a peripheral shoulder 6I and'thinned upper walls'62. Avthumb notch 63 is` provided centrally of the wider walls of the lower member 66 but Vterminates sufficiently' of orientation since it does not matter upon which side of the lower member 60 the -plate is brought to rest. The taper of the plate coacts with the slope of the edges of the wider walls of the member 60 to provide a wedging action which produces a binding of the plate 80, holding the same against accidental displacement away from closing position.

It is to be noted thatl the openings 22 (Fig. 1)

and 'I2 (Fig. 5) are so calculated that there is only a clear passage for one cigarette at a time. This avoids the embarrassment of having two or more cigarettes drop at once when the case is handled in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4,

. which is the normal manner of handling a case of this general type. The corners of both mem-A bers are rounded to conform to the actual form lof a cigarette pack. 'I'he plastic material is amply strong to resist crushing, and the closure is completelydust-proof. All members are free of reentrant surfaces and the several parts therefore lend themselves to simple moulding operations.

Certain variations from the precise forms illustrated will suggest themselves to anyone skilled in the art. It is not, therefore, intended to limit this invention to the precise disclosure,l

but only as set forth in the subjoined claims which are to be broadly construed.

Iclaim:`

1. A cigarette case adapted to hold an opened pack of cigarettes and to dispense cigarettes therefrom, said case comprising a substantially rigid lower member adapted to receive a cigarette pack and to cover five sides thereof, the walls of said lower member being thinned adjacent its open side to provide a peripheral shoulder; av cap member fitting the thinned portionv of said lower member and having a rim bearing on said shoulder, the upper face of said cap member having a cigarette dispensing opening and a slidable plate secured to said upper face and movable to open and close said opening; said plate being guided laterally by opposed walls of said cap member, and being guided vertically by the edges of opposed walls of said'lower member.

2. A closure fora cigarette case comprising a cap member having front and rear walls, end walls, and an upper face integral with said Walls,

said upper face having a cigarette dispensingopening; a plate adapted to cover said opening and mounted to slide between said front and rear walls; a member attached to said plate and protruding through a slot in said upper face, the portion of said member lying on the side of said upper face opposite said plate being larger than said slot to hold the plate in contact with said upper face, the thickness of the material of said upper face increasing from the rear of said slot towards said dispensing opening whereby to bind said material between said protruding portion and said plate when the latter covers said dispensing Opening.

3. A cigarette case adapted to hold an opened pack of cigarettes and to dispense cigarettes therefrom, said case comprising a substantially rigid lower member adapted to receive a cigarette pack and to cover live sides thereof; the walls of said lower member being thinned adjacent its open side to provide a peripheral shoul der; a cap member iitting the thinned portion of said lower member and having a rim bearing on said shoulder, the upper face of said cap member having a cigarette dispensing opening, a slidable plate secured to said upper face and movable to open and close said opening. the thinned portions of the wider opposed walls of said lower member being cut away at the centers of said walls to provide a thumb notch; the edges of said wider walls sloping upwardly from said thumb notch and said plate having a tapered cross section corresponding to the slope of said edges.

4. In a cigarette case, a member having front and rear walls, end walls, and an upper face integral with said walls, said upper face having a cigarette dispensing opening; said member being molded of plastic material; a plate formed of4 plastic material, adapted to cover said opening, and mounted to slide on the under side of said upper face between said front and rear walls; a member formed of plastic material and integrally attached to said plate and protruding through an elongated slot of uniform width formed in said upper face, the portion of said member lying on the side of said upper face opposite said plate being larger than saidslot, said portion having a fiat under-surface bearing against the outer surface of the slot edges, the smallest transverse width of the member in the plane of the said ilat surface being greater than the width of the slot to hold the plate in contact with said upper face. the shape of said protruding portion being so related to the width of said slot and the stiffness of the material of said upper face that it may be snapped through said slot by a camming action, said portion serving,

when engaged through said slot, as the sole j means preventing separation of said plate and said upper face.

HARRY a HUs'rED. 

